Congressman John Tanner bows his head during the closing prayer at a memorial service for former Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter on Sunday afternoon at his Dresden, Tenn., home.

Ned Ray McWherter, a rural West Tennessee sharecropper's son who built a business empire, became state House speaker and later governor from 1987-1995, died Monday, April 4, 2011 in a Nashville hospital after a battle with cancer. He was 80. (Lisa Waddell/The Commercial Appeal)

Former Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter, right, listening as his son, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike McWherter, concedes defeat in Jackson, Tenn. in November, 2010. Ned McWherter, a one-time factory worker who became a millionaire businessman, speaker of the state House and then a two-term Democratic governor, died Monday, April 4, 2011, in Nashville at the age 80. (AP Photo/Lance Murphey)

Author Alex Haley confers with Sen. Jim Sasser (Left) on the reviewing stand at Second and Gayoso as the last of the marching bands and drill teams pass by during a parade in Haley's honor on May 21, 1977. State House speaker and future governor, Ned McWherter (right), was among the dignitaries on hand to pay tribute to the celebrated author of "Roots." (Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal)

April 10, 2011 - Michael McWherter, son of former Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter, left, joins family and friends as they chuckle during a funny annecdote at a memorial service for the former Governor Sunday afternoon at his Dresden, TN home. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)

Ned McWherter kicked off his campaign for Tennessee Governor with several hundred of his friends and neighbors on the courthouse square in his hometown of Dresden, Tennessee April 30, 1986. "The day will never come when I forget what it means to be a West Tennessean," he proclaimed to the crowd's applause. (David Smart/The Commercial Appeal)

Ned Ray McWherter celebrates his gubernatorial win with family and supporters in Nashville, on election night November 4, 1986. McWherter helped lead his party back to power after it lost the governor's office, both U.S. Senate seats and a majority of the state's congressional seats starting with his upset election as speaker. (Thomas Busler/The Commercial Appeal)

Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter feeds his horses Blackjack and Ole Ned at his 1,117 acre spread near Dresden in the fall of 1990. Despite humble beginnings and an enduring passion for simple pleasures, he wields enormous power gained from mastering the twin worlds of business and politics. (Jerry Holt/The Commercial Appeal)

Robert Meeks left, and Governor McWherter walk among the cattle on the governor's farm in the fall of 1990. Meeks takes care of the farm and the animals. (Jerry Holt/The Commercial Appeal)

Governor McWherter, on his Dresden farm in 1990, was then seeking his second term as governor. Since entering the General Assembly at age 38, McWherter has achieved political power not seen in Tennessee since Frank Clement, who served three terms as governor between 1953 and 1967. (Jerry Holt/The Commercial Appeal)

Governor Ned McWherter takes time out from his state duties to relax on his Volunteer Ranch near Dresden in the fall of 1990. McWherter rose to political power through the General Assembly, where he was speaker of the house. (Jerry Holt/The Commercial Appeal)

With grandsons Matt Ramsey (center) and Brett Ramsey (right) assisting by holding the bible, Governor Ned McWherter is sworn in for a second term of office by state Supreme Court Justice Lyle Reid in Nashville's Legislative Plaza Saturday, January 19, 1991. (Michael McMullan/The Commercial Appeal)

Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter talks with old friends Danny Puckett, center, and Howard Grubbs, right, at Palmer's General Store in Palmersville, Tenn., on Monday, Jan. 16, 1995. Twenty-six years of public service was coming to an end for McWherter, aa Republican Don Sundquist was soon to be sworn in as governor. McWherter will head straight back to familiar surroundings and friends in West Tennessee, before he fulfills a promise to President Clinton to work as an advisor. (AP Photo/Christopher Berkey)

Outgoing Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter makes his farewell address before the swearing in of Don Sundquist, seated at left, as the state's 47th governor at the Legislative Plaza in Nashville on Saturday, Jan. 21, 1995. Seated next to Sundquist is his wife, Martha. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Gov. Ned McWherter shows new gov. elect Don Sundquist around the Executive Residence grounds in Nashville on November 9, 1994. (Steve Jones/Special to The Commercial Appeal)

Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter packs some of his bags at the Governor's Mansion in Nashville on January 10, 1995. Twenty-six years of public service will end for McWherter on Saturday, after Republican Don Sundquist is sworn in as governor. McWherter will head straight back to familiar surroundings and friends in West Tennessee, before he fulfills a promise to President Clinton to work as an advisor. (AP Photo/Christopher Berkey)

April 10, 2011 - Relics of a long career in public sevice decorate a table a the front of a billowing white tent Sunday afternoon as mourners gather for a memorial service to honor former Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter Sunday afternoon at his Dresden, TN home. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)